Ben Parker (Earth-11584)
History "You have a responsibility to yourself and to the world to share your gifts, Pete. That responsibility is even greater when you are as gifted as you are." '''Benjamin Parker '''was the Uncle of Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man. Born on Long Island but moving to Staten Island as a kid, Ben Parker was the oldest of two boys. Emotionally distant from his parents, Ben and his younger brother Richard were practically inseparable, despite the fact that Ben was three years older than Richard and very different personality wise. While Richard was intelligent and something of a nerd, Ben was a high school athlete and a gifted craftsman with his hands. The two brothers remained close, even after high school, with Richard going to college and earning an internship with Oscorp and Ben opting to go to trade school and become a construction worker and contractor. After suffering an injury at work, Ben started going to physical therapy where he met May Reilly. The two fell in love and were married in a simple civil ceremony where Richard and his girlfriend Mary were the only witnesses. Though Ben was eager to start a family, he and May quickly learned that they were unable to have children together. Undeterred, Ben and May filled this void in their lives by doting upon and spoiling their respective nieces and nephews (which were many, given the many number of siblings that May had.) However they grew closest to their godchild, Richard's son Peter, and when Richard and Mary Parker died mysteriously in a plane crash, they stepped up and took in their orphaned nephew. Ben encouraged Peter's natural curiosity at science and math, seeing a lot of his younger brother in Peter. He also enjoyed Peter's childhood obsession with Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and took him to the Stark Expo for a chance to see his hero (this almost backfired, as Peter got an up close encounter with a Hammer Drone and Iron Man during this event.) As Peter moved into high school (and was bitten by a radioactive spider, gaining super strength amongst other powers) his personality changed slightly and he became more aggressive and slacked off on his grades, intoxicated with his newfound spider-like powers. Not knowing exactly what his nephew was going through, Ben encouraged Peter at his new "interests" such as joining the football team, but reminded him of the responsibility and duty he owed to himself and the world to share his amazing gifts (though it was clear Ben was referring to his intelligence, not his powers). The two did have a brief argument when Ben dropped Peter off at the library one day (though in reality Peter was going to compete at an independent wrestling show.) Two days later, while Peter was at football practice, a burglar broke into the Parker's apartment while Ben was home from work. Ben confronted the burglar, who was armed, and was fatally shot. Ben died not knowing that the burglar was one Peter could have stopped two days prior, and also not knowing that this incident would be the catalyst for Peter becoming the super-hero known as Spider-Man. Powers & Abilities * Trained Contractor: Being expertly skilled with his hands and at building things, Ben worked as a construction worker and contractor throughout the city of New York, despite his lack of a college education. His specialty was carpentry, but he was skilled in most aspects of construction. * High School Athlete: Ben had been a fullback in high school and had competed on the high school track team as well. * Words of Wisdom: Ben was a seeming font of wisdom and encouragement, particularly for his nephew. Weaknesses Ben possessed no special abilities that would protect him from harm, as he was killed by a simple gunshot wound to the chest. Film Details Ben Parker appears in the following films within the Earth-11584 continuity. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Peter Gallagher. * Captain America: Civil War (2016) only * Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) in flashback * Spider-Man: Dangerous Games (2019) a dream sequence Category:Earth-11584 Category:Earth-11584 Characters Category:Good Characters